As director of operations for Friends of the Festival, Mitchell Hall has heard complaints for years about how hot the area in front of the Bud Light Stage — now renamed the Ultra Stage — at Riverbend can get.
It's a parking lot without benefit of trees or cover for shade, so the asphalt gets hot.
"It's uncomfortable, no doubt," he said by phone last week.
Trying to think outside the box, he started reaching out to various companies and landed on The Turf Guys in Dalton, who said they could put down about 25,000-square-feet of plastic turf to knock down some of the heat.
"It will cover about 1/3 of the area," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he isn't aware of any other festival or event that has used a system like the temporary turf and admits he isn't exactly sure how well it will work, but said the festival has listened to fans and wants to try. He declined to reveal the cost, but said he is looking for a sponsor to cover the cost and believes the turf can be reusable for nine to 10 years.
"We'd love to get a sponsor for it," he said. "It's an experiment, but the company is going to transport and store it, so we want to try."
The green turf, which is similar to the material used for backyards and other outdoor venues, will not have the beads used on playing surfaces for football and baseball and softball stadiums. It comes in large strips, and Mitchell said if it goes as hoped, it could be used for other events.
Staff photo by Olivia Ross / The Bud Light Stage is seen ahead of last year's Riverbed Festival. The Bud Light Stage, recently renamed the Ultra Stage, this year will feature a turf organizers hope will combat heat.
"It has holes in a grid pattern to allow for rain to go through," he said.
Clean-up is as simple as blowing any debris off and hosing it down.
Friends of the Festival Executive Director Mickey McCamish told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the turf is the result of his staff trying to listen to the complaints and requests of the fans.
"They've told us it was too hot on that parking lot, and this is us trying to fix it," McCamish said.
The change is just one of many at the event, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, has undergone in recent years. It announced changes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including reducing the number of days it would run from eight to three and the number of stages from five to three. In 2022, it capped attendance at 15,000 and raised its admission price from $45 to $90. This year, admission is $145 for the three-day event.
Robin Derryberry of Derryberry Public Relations said the festival, which runs through Sunday at Ross's Landing, is nearly sold out.
This year's festival features headliners Maren Morris, Trombone Shorty, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and other performers, including Mavis Staples, Jerry Harrison, and Adrian Belew.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.